Astrology plays key role in Thai way of life
Pondering whether her job is the right fit and whether her romantic relationship is meant to be, Jarunun Sangjun, 27, did what any typical Thai would do: seek out a fortune-teller for advice.
The fortune-teller, who has a table set up on the side of the road near a temple here, asked for the date and time of her birth before drawing up horoscope charts.
“The stars are saying this year you’ll change jobs, start a new relationship,” said the fortuneteller known as Ajarn Jamras, who said he has been practising for 30 years.
The roadside divination is a world away from Thailand’s elaborate preparations for the coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn on May 4.
But astrology plays a key role in the coronation ceremonies this week when the monarch, too, will have his horoscope cast.
The main coronation events from May 4 to 6 will be the first the country has seen since Vajiralongkorn’s father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was crowned on May 5, 1950. He had reigned for seven decades before he passed away in October 2016.
Thai culture is steeped in astrology and other forms of divination, such as palm reading, tarot cards and feng shui, which all sit comfortably in the country’s brand of Buddhism.
Many Thais go to fortune-tellers for everything from guidance on career and love to setting dates for important life events like weddings and business ventures.
Royal astrologers at Bangkok’s Temple of the Emerald Buddha inscribed the king’s new titles and the horoscope for his reign on a golden plate yesterday. Court astrologers traditionally make predictions about the future at every important transition in the nation’s history.
“By showing the horoscope, you’re really showing to those who can read it that this is a legitimate king and this will be a prosperous reign,” said Edoardo Siani, a Thai astrology expert and Thailand anthropologist at Kyoto University in Japan.
Thai astrology derives from Brahmanic practices in the royal court and unlike in the West, it is not strictly about planetary alignments but also concerns numerology and omens.
Divination in Thailand is heavily infused with the Buddhist concept of karma, which dictates that when people make good or bad deeds, the universe will treat them back in kind. This made fortune-telling in Thai culture more than just about seeing the future, but also having agency to change it, Siani said.
“Everything depends on positive or negative karma, and by engaging in practices like meritmaking, you may always hope to change a negative forecast.
“Seeing the future is just the first part. The services of a specialist are also about providing techniques for dealing with a problematic fortune, or with enhancing good luck.” Some fortune-tellers such as Ajarn Jamras say that is why they are in the business, as helping people is their calling. “Ajarn” in Thai means “teacher” and is used as a title to convey respect.
“I’m here to show people the way out of misery so they can make their lives better,” Jamras said.